For a country that is known for being on the bottom of the list for most sexually-active nations, it is no surprise that Singapore's media watchdogs would pull the nudity and sex toys out of public viewing for this year's Sexpo 2005.

The exhibition, which prohibits anyone under the age of 21, is seen as a milestone for the tightly controlled city-state that bans pornography and has tight censorship laws that routinely cut nudity and sex scenes from movies.

"This is really tame for a sex exhibition. But this is Singapore, so I was not expecting a lot more," said Christopher Hedman, a 49-year-old marketing director.

The organizers, who spent over a year obtaining police approval to have Singapore host the event, said the exhibition was not intended to copy Australia's Sexpo, which had seen autograph sessions with porn stars, strip shows, bondage and love-making demonstrations.

In an attempt to get rid of its stiff image and attract tourists, the city-state's authorities are gradually relaxing social controls, allowing bar-top dancing and recently lifting a ban on the sale of Cosmopolitan magazine and on the television series "Sex and the City", which had previously been deemed too racy for public viewing.